Broken in More Ways Than One
by 2016jacb
Summary: Skye's not quite okay after striking out on her own. Set during/after 1x11 (spoilers).
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first fic, so please be gentle. It starts up right in the middle of The Magical Place. SkyeWard is my OTP, and so when I got this idea it had to be done! This is a multi-chapter fic, and about 80% is already written, so expect regular updates. Without any further ado, enjoy! J

* * *

><p>"You shouldn't be here."<p>

The menacing voice snapped Skye out of her momentary daze. Forgetting the creepy mannequins, she whirled around with a sharp intake of air. A Centipede soldier with a intimidating glare and a malicious glint in his eye stood behind her.

She took off, sprinting as fast as she could. Her boots kicked up little clouds of dust as he shouted, "There's nowhere to run!"

She glanced back, finding that he was gaining on her. There truly was nowhere to run – he'd catch her soon. Blood pounding in her ears, she picked up her speed and focused forward again. She heard the distant purr of an engine and the solid _thunk_ of a body hitting something with some weight just as she could feel his breath on the back of her neck.

Her feet tripping over themselves in an effort to keep moving, she stumbled over a board lying on the ground. With a sharp gasp, she extended her arms to catch herself and landed with most of her weight on her left wrist.

Hard.

Despite the shooting pain traveling up her arm, she knew she had to keep moving.

Or did she? Shouldn't he have yanked her up and started abusing her by now?

She pushed herself up with her good wrist and turned around. A black vehicle emblazoned with the SHIELD logo had dealt the brute a blow he wouldn't soon recover from. She immediately relaxed, feeling her fear dissipate as her team flooded out of the car and ran over to her.

"You okay?" Simmons asked, seeing the way Skye was guarding her wrist.

"Better than okay, actually. Thanks for stepping in there. If you guys hadn't gotten here when you had, well…I'd prefer not to think about what he would have done," Skye said.

The team generally nodded and murmured their assent. They formed a line, ingrained in them by force of habit, and scanned the area.

"Coulson's gotta be here somewhere. We need to split up."

* * *

><p>"Back in that room…did they learn anything?"<p>

"No."

"Did you?" She fixed him with a serious look. "I heard what you were saying."

He shook his head. "It wasn't real." He paused. "They were just messing with my head. But I appreciate your concern." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

She just nodded and returned the small smile he gave her. She glanced down at her left wrist. Holy shit, it was swollen. _I'll have to do something about that._

She watched as he walked over to the nondescript SHIELD van and hopped inside. "Let May and the others know…there's something I have to take care of. A lead I got on...my history…" he trailed off, not sure how to continue.

Skye rescued him. "No problem, AC. Sure you don't wanna take Lola for a spin?" she asked jestingly, trying to take her mind off the pain now radiating from her wrist. _Damn,_ she thought,_ adrenaline really does numb the pain._

He grimaced. "I need something a little less flashy for this job. I'll be back briefly – don't wait up," he joked. The corners of his mouth pulled into something that resembled a smile, but his eyes didn't reflect it. She waved with her bracelet-free right hand – _yes!_ – as he pulled out. Watching the car speed off into the night, she sighed. _I think some sleep is in order._

She trekked up the stairs and found that everyone had returned to their rooms. Come to think of it, even FitzSimmons hadn't gone back to their lab – they'd crept upstairs with everyone else. They must all be of her thoughts exactly – sleep was in good order. She'd been up for what, 48 hours straight? Regardless, she was about to pass out.

Glancing at the clock reading 10:07 PM, she pulled the door shut as she entered her bunk. She was surprised to find her laptop and phone lying on the bed as if they'd never left. _Ward_, she thought. _Nice of him to take care of kicking me off the plane – I get to keep my stuff! _She felt a surge of affection for him – he'd said he believed in her and her abilities, and managed to hold on to her stuff. If he wasn't careful, she might have to give him a new nickname.

She reached out to grab her phone in one hand and laptop in the other, momentarily forgetting her current predicament. Her left wrist cried out in agony as soon as she moved it, and she clutched it to her chest, tears springing to her eyes. _Is it broken? Feels like every other time this has happened, so it must be. _Her lengthy stay in the foster care system had given her a ticket to see almost every kind of parent there was. Including the abusive ones.

Extending her arm, she examined it cautiously. The whole area was bright red and obviously inflamed. It was warm to the touch and severely swollen – comparing her wrists in size was laughable. _I can tough it out…it'll be fine in the morning. Not like I haven't done it before. _She rummaged around in one of her bags for Advil, popped two, and curled up in bed. Grabbing a decorative pillow and placing it under her left hand, she slipped off to dreamland.

* * *

><p>Skye awoke to sunlight peeking through the blinds covering her tiny window. She squinted and blinked a little, trying to get accustomed to the sudden change in brightness. She yawned and stretched, only to be distracted by a shooting pain in her left arm.<p>

She glanced over and startled with a quiet gasp. Her arm was now black and blue, still very swollen, and now actively painful. She noticed for the first time that it didn't seem to be hanging quite right, like a bone wasn't in the right place. _Aw, crap. I really screwed this up. Maybe I'll talk to the nerds if they're up._

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was only 6 AM. She was surprised she hadn't slept more, considering how tired she was, but she was always up with the sun. She crept silently out of her bunk and into the kitchen, grabbing a blueberry muffin and some milk, and ate alone at the bar. Phone in hand, she polished off the last crumbs and set about making good use of her new-earned Internet freedom.

* * *

><p>FitzSimmons stumbled out of their bunks at precisely 9:46 AM, incredibly late for them. <em>Aw, look. They're so in sync that they woke up at the same time. They're so cute!<em>

"Good morning!" she said cheerily.

"Good morning!" Jemma responded.

Fitz only grunted. It appeared that the engineer did not operate until given tea. He fumbled around with the tea bags until he managed to find the one he wanted, and watched in grumpy silence as the water heated up.

Skye watched them silently, wondering whether or not to bring up her miserably swollen and abused appendage. Fitz sipped his beverage slowly, trying to wake up, when Skye decided to broach the subject. She opened her mouth to speak when Simmons' head snapped up.

"Fitz, I've just had the most wonderful idea! What if we used a different neurotoxin with the Night-Night rounds? Perhaps we could have it affect different areas…maybe add some more long term effects!" Simmons said.

Fitz seemed to look a little more awake. "Yes, perhaps that will work. Let's have a look, shall we?" He slid off the stool and started making his way to the lab, Simmons hot on his heels.

She was glad she hadn't said anything. What was more important – her wrist or stopping Centipede soldiers? Besides, trying to pierce the thick barrier of scientific chatter was more than she felt up to at the moment. She sighed. Back to hacking with one hand.

* * *

><p>She was just about to throw her computer at the wall in frustration. There was absolutely no way to get anything done quickly with only one good hand. She slammed the computer shut and shoved it aside. Who cared, anyways? There was nothing interesting going on at the moment.<p>

She heard a knock on the door. She pulled it open. "Yes?"

She was met with Ward's dark eyes. "Training in five."

"Seriously? C'mon, I thought I did good yesterday. Can't I take a break?" she whined, trying to wriggle out of it. _If I go downstairs he'll definitely see my hand…I don't want to interrupt the twins but I suppose I'll have to…_

"No. Get downstairs," Ward replied shortly.

"Fine, robot. Get outta here so I can change. I can't work out in pajamas." She shut the door in his face and went about putting clothes on as quickly as one can with only one hand.

* * *

><p>She traipsed down the stairs and approached Ward, hand outstretched. "Wrap my hands for me?"<p>

He steadied the punching bag and stepped towards her. He speedily wrapped her right wrist and hand, grabbed the next wrapping, and pulled her left wrist close. She felt a sharp jolt of pain as he pulled and couldn't restrain her gasp.

He looked at her in confusion, his thoughts having been elsewhere, and looked down at her wrist. He was met with an ugly array of black and blue bruises over a severely swollen wrist.

He immediately looked back up. "Skye! What did you do?" he asked exasperatedly, showing less concern than he felt.

"Um, when that soldier was chasing me I fell pretty hard. My wrist took a lot of the weight, but it's no big deal. Just bruised and sore," she said, trying to avoid making a scene.

"Not so much, Skye. This is almost definitely broken. Why didn't you see FitzSimmons? This needs to be looked at," he said. Why on earth would she avoid medical treatment?

"It didn't look nearly this bad last night, and Simmons had some idea about Centipede soldiers this morning that was too important to interrupt." Skye pulled her arm out of his grasp and into her chest.

"Skye, your immediate health is more important than finding yet another method of incapacitating Centipede. We're going to the lab right now." He put an arm around her waist and dragged her to the lab. She fixed him with a death glare, but didn't bother struggling, seeing as a) it was pointless and b) her arm _really _hurt.

They marched into the lab to find Fitz and Simmons milling around, appearing to be looking for something. As Fitz entered the back room, Simmons caught sight of an exasperated looking Ward and disgruntled looking Skye and turned around.

"Is there something you two need at this very moment? We've had a small breakthrough and we'd really like to follow it up," Simmons said politely. Her demeanor exuded a desire for them to say no.

"See, I told you Ward! They're busy. This isn't as important as—"

"Shut up, Skye. Actually, yes Simmons, we need your help at this exact moment. This stubborn rookie seems to have failed to report her injuries," he said, pushing Skye towards her friend. This earned him a glare and a stuck-out tongue. _Mature, _he thought.

Simmons walked towards Skye and gently pulled up her wrist. "Oh, dear. Skye, why didn't you tell us earlier? This is definitely broken, and judging from its appearance, very painful."

She shrugged. "It wasn't bad last night, and you guys were busy this morning, so…"

Jemma sighed. "Skye, this is more important than that. You need to trust us more," she murmured, gesturing for Skye to sit on an exam table.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it was that bad," Skye said quietly. "Can we just move on? To be honest, this really hurts."

Simmons stayed quiet. She had never heard Skye admit to being in pain; she'd never heard the slight tremor in her voice before. For Skye to own up to the fact that she was in pain meant that they really needed to move this along.

"Alright then. Lay down on this table and lay your arm out, carefully, please. Fitz!" she shouted.

He popped his head out and sighed. "What on earth do you need? I'm still looking for the tetraethylammonium, you know."

"Forget about that for now, okay? Can you grab the x-ray machine since you're already back there?" Jemma asked.

"Sure, but what do you need—" "Will you just shut up and get it please?" "Fine."

Ward watched somewhat disinterestedly from the corner. He could see that Skye was very uncomfortable, but didn't understand why. It was just a broken wrist – easy fix, no big deal. Why was she being evasive?

Fitz eventually came out of the room to see Skye lying on the table. "Are you alright?" he asked, no longer focused on the neurotoxins.

"Yeah, I'm good. Your twin here thinks I've got a broken wrist, so there's that, but otherwise I'm all good," Skye said, trying to smile.

"Ah. I see. Doesn't it hurt? Why didn't you tell us?"

Skye sighed. "I didn't think it was that bad. No need for me to bother anyone."

That grabbed Ward's attention quickly. The way she said "no need to bother" bothered him. She wasn't a bother; she was a member of their team. _I'll talk to her about that later._

Simmons was carefully guiding the handheld x-ray machine, one of her own inventions, over Skye's arm. "Pull up the x-rays on to the holo screen, please."

Fitz scurried over to the computer and pressed a few keys. Suddenly an x-ray appeared in midair, flickering lazily.

Simmons looked carefully, reached in, and magnified an area. "Oh, dear."

Skye began to feel slightly panicked. "What's wrong?"

"It appears that you have a rather bad break. This is an intra-articular displaced fracture, one of the most difficult to treat. I fear that the bone is too displaced to heal, so we're going to have to realign the parts of the bone," Simmons sighed.

"What does that mean?" Skye said, still panicked.

"I'm going to have to perform surgery on your wrist."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews and favorites/follows; it means a lot to someone who's just started writing. I really and truly appreciate it. J

* * *

><p><em>"What does that mean?" Skye said, still panicked.<em>

_"I'm going to have to perform surgery on your wrist."_

* * *

><p>Skye blanked. <em>Is she serious? She cannot be serious. It's just my wrist! This cannot be happening.<em>

"Skye. Skye. Skye!" Simmons shouted. She jumped and snapped back to attention.

"Sorry, I zoned out there for a second. Do you really mean that? You're gonna have to do _surgery_?" she said incredulously.

"I'm sorry, but there's really no other option. The break is too severe to heal on its own," Simmons said apologetically.

"Um, okay. A-Are we gonna do this now?" Skye stammered.

FitzSimmons looked at each other. "Er…well, yes, I suppose so…" Simmons said. She and Fitz started pulling aside all the materials they needed and prepping an operating table. Skye slid off the examining table quietly and sat down in the corner. Ward walked over and sat down next to her.

"Someone should probably tell May and Coulson, so they don't walk in here confused," Skye said. She sounded confused, unsure of how to react.

Ward picked up on her turbulent emotions right away. "Hey, Skye, it's going to be fine. It's pretty minor surgery. It'll be over quickly." He tried to sound confident, because she was beginning to look panicky.

Skye looked up at him. "I'm not that comfortable with this kind of thing. I hate hospitals and medical equipment and doctors and just…ugh. They scare me," she admitted.

Ward gave her a stern look. "Skye, just because you're afraid of something doesn't mean you should sacrifice your health. You matter to the team, okay? You need to speak up when you're hurt."

Skye looked somewhat guilty. "I know, it's force of habit, I guess. I've always been on my own with this kind of stuff. Being a foster kid, it's…it's not easy."

He gave her a sympathetic look. "I know. But you've got us now, okay?"

Skye nodded, already drifting back into her own little world.

* * *

><p>Ward trotted up the stairs and went looking for the higher-ranking officers. He made his way to Coulson's office and knocked on the door. He heard a "come in" and pushed the door open.<p>

He found them pouring over some files together and caught a glimpse of a horrific murder scene among the documents. May saw him looking and immediately closed the folder.

"Is there a problem, Agent Ward?" she said stiffly, not bothering to turn her head. Coulson tipped his head back and polished off his drink. It was clear that neither of them had any desire to talk at the moment.

"Actually, yes, there is," he said. Both agents turned to focus on him fully, attention regained.

"When Skye was being chased yesterday, it seems that she had a harder fall than we originally thought. She didn't tell anyone, but when we started training today I saw that her wrist was broken. FitzSimmons took a look, and they think it's bad enough that they need to correct it surgically," he relayed, trying to give them a summary.

They both gave him looks of surprise.

"We thought it would be a good idea to inform you before anyone performed surgery and so neither of you came in wondering why Skye was being cut open," he said.

Coulson took a minute to absorb before responding. "That's…surprising. She seemed fine when I talked to her," he mused.

"She was hiding it – said she didn't think it was a big deal," Ward said.

Coulson shook his head. "She needs to trust us more." He sighed. "Are you sure FitzSimmons are equipped for this? Should we land and get Skye to a doctor designated for this?"

"I don't know, sir. You should probably ask them."

Coulson nodded and started towards the staircase, Ward following. After a moment's hesitation, May followed.

* * *

><p>Skye watched as May, Ward, and Coulson entered the lab. She was beginning to feel numb and removed from the situation. At least it was better than panicking.<p>

Coulson stepped forward. "FitzSimmons, is this advisable? Should Skye see a doctor or do you feel capable of this?"

"We're capable, sir, but it's more than that. Her wrist has not stopped swelling, and if we don't act soon, it will get harder and harder to operate. Much better if this happens sooner rather than later," Simmons responded. "And we're actually ready now. If you could all step out, that would be great."

Coulson and May stepped back immediately. Ward walked over to Skye instead.

She was facing away from him, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Her breathing was coming in short spurts, accelerated and panicky.

Ward took her by the shoulders. "Hey. Skye. Look at me." He shook her gently.

She slowly brought her eyes to meet his.

"It'll be fine, okay? They're going to knock you out and you won't feel a thing," he promised.

She nodded and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

He walked out of the lab and closed the door behind him. He watched as she slowly walked to the table, and gave her a thumbs up when she looked at him. She took a deep breath and laid down.

He decided to head upstairs. When this was over, he needed to talk to Skye again. She still didn't trust them fully, and he needed to fix that.

* * *

><p>They gave Skye a general anesthetic and waited for it to kick in. As she fell unconscious, her body relaxed, tension disappearing. Simmons immediately set to work, quickly finding the displaced bone fragment and guiding it back into place. She sighed in relief when she finished sewing up the incision. Ten little black stitches served as Skye's reminder of the day. It had taken less than five minutes – a relatively quick and simple procedure.<p>

Or so they thought.

They worked together quietly, fitting a plaster cast on Skye's wrist while she was still out. There was no noise other than the metal clink of tools being moved and Skye's quiet breathing.

Until that breathing got louder.

FitzSimmons looked up as her breathing became more difficult. It sounded as though she was struggling to get oxygen. Within a few more seconds, she was gasping.

They looked at each other in terror as they came to the same horrific conclusion – she was having an allergic reaction to the anesthetic.

Instantaneously they started moving. "Fitz, get an antihistamine! _Quickly!_" Simmons shouted. She grabbed an oxygen mask and fit it over her friend's face. Skye's lips were rapidly turning blue.

Fitz tore out of the back room with a syringe full of clear liquid. He searched frantically for a vein, and immediately inserted it. He removed it and both watched anxiously, hoping they had done enough.

It seemed they had not as a shrill, continuous beep became audible.

They felt their hearts stop for a brief moment in direct correlation to Skye's.

Her heart was no longer beating.

Fitz dived for the defibrillator while Simmons tore aside Skye's shirt to clear a place. Fitz slapped the pads in place and shouted, "Clear!"

They watched in sheer terror as Skye's body arced upwards and slumped back down.

There was still no heartbeat.

* * *

><p>Ward had joined the senior agents at the bar. <em>I need a drink, <em>he thought.

Ward clambered behind the bar and ran his fingers over the labels of various bottles until he came to a nice scotch. He pulled it out and poured himself a generous helping. Coulson held out his own glass, and Ward obliged him as well.

They sat in silence, all somewhat subdued. Unbeknownst to them, they were all thinking about the same thing.

Skye.

Ward's thoughts had drifted back to his rookie's reluctance to get treatment again. _Why? She knows us, she trusts us, and she's not really a whiner when it comes to injury. She should know that we're not going to tease her for being afraid. I think there's more to this than a fear of medical equipment._

His thoughts were snapped back to the present by a red light that began blinking right in front of them, accompanied by a shrill beep.

All three agents moved into the conference room, where the holographic screen displayed an ominous message.

_Defibrillator removed. Defibrillator removed._

All three agents shared a look of horror before racing down the stairs.

They arrived just in time to see Skye's body arc on the table.

* * *

><p>AN: Hope you enjoyed! Still more to come! :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks again for the reviews!

* * *

><p><em>All three agents shared a look of horror before racing down the stairs.<em>

_They arrived just in time to see Skye's body arc on the table._

* * *

><p>"Again!" Simmons cried.<p>

Fitz pressed a button. "Charging!"

They waited a split second, watching their friend flatline before the defibrillator clicked.

"Clear!"

She arced again.

* * *

><p>Ward pressed his face up to the glass, desperate to see what was happening. Coulson and May stood back quietly, eyes darting back and forth to take in the horrific spectacle in front of them.<p>

_No. She can't…she can't. She's not allowed to die! Not when I haven't told her how I feel!_

Ward was taken aback by his own thoughts. Since when did he have feelings for…?

_Since she disappeared with that idiot Miles. _

He'd spent hours with the punching bag, always imagining her former boyfriend's snarky expression as the fabric caved to his blows. He had wished so strongly that it was flesh and bone snapping under his fingers instead.

He pressed his nose to the glass, watching condensation form from his breath on the glass behind which the scientists franticly attempted to resuscitate their fallen friend. He was desperate to help in yet another situation where he could do absolutely nothing.

* * *

><p>Simmons started crying when she heard a consistent beeping.<p>

Skye's heart was beating again.

She collapsed in Fitz's arms, quaking from terror and stress and grief. He just held her as she sobbed, rubbing her back gently. He slowly caught sight of the other agents standing outside, all looking stricken.

Fitz's heart lurched. From Jemma's reaction, they must be thinking…

No.

He shook his head and gave them a thumbs up, desperate to convey that Skye had pulled through.

Ward fell to his knees, overtaken by relief. May and Coulson leaned into each other.

Simmons pushed herself off of Fitz, tears still streaming down her face, and began checking on Skye's vitals. She went through everything twice, just to make sure she hadn't missed anything. Fitz silently cleaned up the operating tools, trying not to draw attention to the things that had caused the near tragedy. Finally, when they looked around and found nothing left to clean or fix, they let the anxious faces that had been pressed up to the glass in.

"What the hell happened?" Coulson barked as the marched in. They were all drawn to Skye's bedside, surrounding her in a lopsided circle.

Simmons looked at him with watery eyes. "She-she had a-an adverse rea-action to t-the anesthesia-a, s-sir," Simmons stuttered out. She looked down at the floor. "T-this is all m-my fault," she murmured, tears slipping out of the corners of her eyes. Within seconds, she was full-blown sobbing again, reaching for the comfort of Fitz's arms.

Coulson looked abashed. "It wasn't your fault, Simmons. Absolutely not." He looked at Fitz. "What happened, exactly?"

Fitz sighed and rattled off a quick summary. "We just weren't quick enough with the medicine," he mumbled.

Coulson looked at them. "This is no one's fault, okay? No one knew, it was a routine procedure, and you guys handled it. She's alive, and she'll stay that way. Everyone good?"

Simmons just kept crying into Fitz's chest. Ward pulled up a chair by Skye's bedside and sat down. May looked somewhat rattled, but maintained her composure and stood stoically.

Coulson sighed. After everything she had done to save him – even sacrificed the possibility of continuing to live on the Bus – why did this have to happen to her?

* * *

><p>Skye's dreamland was clear and warm – inviting. She felt like she was on a beach – and suddenly, she was. She dug her bare feet into the sand and took in a breath of great, fresh sea air. It was salty and stung at her eyes, but she stayed.<p>

She sat down and watched the waves crash over the shells littering the shoreline. Gulls called from a cliff just barely in view. The tide came in, and soon the edges of the waves trickled between her toes. The tide was tickling her waist before it began to recede. The sheer beauty of this place took her breath away.

_It's nice here. Perhaps I should stay, _she thought. _Warm winds, calm sea…not like my life on the Bus. It's peaceful._

She laid out on the sand and felt herself sink into it. The sand molded to her shape, inviting her to stay in the confines of its warm embrace. She sighed and willingly relaxed, letting the sand swallow her. She felt a spark of panic as her view of the bright blue sky disappeared, covered by her newfound friend. She still wanted to see the sky!

She struggled to move her hands so she could dig her way out, but found that they were already pinned by the sand. She strained and strained against the hot, gritty substance, finding that it was not nearly as friendly as before. She was gasping for air, trying to breathe with microscopic particles of shells and stones filling her mouth.

Suddenly, the sand vanished. Disappeared entirely. She looked to her left and the sea had disappeared too. Everything was dark.

* * *

><p>The Bus was quiet. No one had any cause for celebration. May went back to the cockpit, Coulson disappeared into his office, and FitzSimmons tried to hack into Skye's medical records to make sure they hadn't missed anything.<p>

Ward just sat in the lab, eyes fixed on the bouncing lines and beeps that indicated that she was still alive.

His eyes ghosted over her frame and watched the rise and fall of her chest.

Still breathing.

FitzSimmons muttered in hushed voices as they tried to bypass confidentiality regulations to pull Skye's records. They didn't mention that they weren't good at this; that Skye was usually the one to find the back doors and weak firewalls. They didn't have to.

After an hour of Ward sitting absolutely motionless, nothing in his head but static, he heard Fitz whoop in excitement. He turned around and saw Skye's medical records on the holographic screen.

Simmons began flipping through record after record to find allergy tests. Ward stood up and walked over to her, watching the dizzying flash of virtual documents being flicked through from behind.

He caught her by the wrist when he spotted something that made his heart stop. She looked at him in annoyance. "Ward. I need to find her allergies!"

"Look at this," he breathed.

She turned back to the screen and found herself as taken aback as him. It was a folder of former x-rays, but it was much thicker, even virtually, than the average person's. She hesitated, but opened it.

They were immediately faced with x-rays of many, many broken bones. From her ribs to her wrists to her legs to her ankles to her fingers to her jaw to her nose – it seemed that Skye had more broken bones than whole ones.

The lab went dead quiet when Fitz reached over and touched a photograph, bringing it to the front.

A much younger Skye, no older than ten, had posed for a photograph with a vivid black eye. The caption read, "Moderate concussion and multiple contusions surrounding the orbital cavity. Suspected abuse."

Their eyes all drifted to Skye and drifted back to the screen. They stood in silence, unable to put what they were all thinking into words. Finally, Fitz took a deep breath and muttered, "No wonder she didn't want to talk about broken bones."

Ward nodded sadly. He gave the images of horror one last lingering look, and returned to Skye's side.

Simmons continued flicking through documents, and eventually came up with an allergy test. It seemed that Skye wasn't allowed to eat kiwi, but had never been tested with anesthetic. She could find no record of Skye ever having been anesthetized before, so there was no way to have known. Simmons affirmatively added a note to the allergy test, indicating that Skye was not allowed to have the typical anesthetic.

Concluding that they had done everything they could, FitzSimmons went into the back half of the lab to test their neurotoxin theory, albeit with notably less enthusiasm than before.

Ward remained with Skye. Her olive-toned skin was pale and sickly, and she looked very small curled up on the hospital bed. He had never truly realized how tiny she was. She seemed to take up a lot of room, but he was coming to the conclusion that it was her personality. Her incessant chatter, her snarky comments, her inappropriate jokes. They all made her into someone larger than life.

His gaze traveled across the locks of brown hair that were splayed across the stark white pillow. Her perfect pink lips were slightly parted.

As his eyes traveled up and down with the steady beat of her pulse on the monitor, he moved a little closer. He hated not being able to protect those that mattered to him. Physical threats were something he could conquer easily. But alien diseases? Computer viruses? Life-threatening secret allergies? There was nothing he could do, and it pained him.

The thought of losing her was almost too much to bear. Losing any member of the team would be hard, but losing her bright, bubbly personality would put an irreparable dent in the team dynamic. She understood him, in some strange way, better than anyone. Losing her would be akin to losing his link to the outside world. He'd become isolated again.

_How had I not seen how much she matters to me before now?_ He hadn't quite fully accepted that he had fallen head over heels for his trainee without even realizing it. _Seeing her with no heartbeat…thinking for a split second that she was gone…it hurt more than I could have possibly expected._

He looked back at her, reassuring himself that she was still there, to find that she was shivering. Goosebumps dotted her arms and legs and she had curled up slightly, seeking warmth.

He was pleased – this was something he could defend her from.

He immediately stood up and started looking for blankets. He didn't want to start opening drawers and cabinets in the lab because he had no idea what dangerous things they contained, but he had to get her warm. He walked in circles around the lab, examining every visible shelf and open cabinet, but came up empty.

He peeked in the back of the lab and found both scientists in biohazard suits, handling some dangerous-looking dark purple liquid. It seemed pretty unlikely that either would be able to help him anytime soon.

He stole a quick glance at Skye and immediately became concerned. She was visibly shaking with cold now, and her teeth were chattering, making tiny clicking noises as they bounced against each other. Completely at a loss for any other solution, he gently moved her to one side of the hospital bed and climbed in with her. He had always been warmer than average, and it seemed to prove true when Skye unconsciously snuggled closer to him. He carefully placed his arms around her, and watched as she sighed and smiled in her sleep.

He could feel the tingle of her breath on his skin, and gave in to the urge to give the top of her brown locks a gentle kiss. His vision of her slowly faded as his eyes fluttered closed.

* * *

><p>Skye was in complete darkness. Her surroundings were utterly black – her eyes could not grasp the tiniest speck of light.<p>

She sat and waited, her conscious floating. And all of a sudden, there was a flash of light, in the shape of a rectangle; it was the outline of a door.

She scrambled to get to the flicker of light before it disappeared. She pressed her hands to the cold surface and pushed as hard as she could. It resisted for just a moment before bursting open, sending her flying into a heap of snow.

She spat out a mouthful of fluffy white and looked around. She was in a light blizzard, flakes falling thick and fast as far as the eye could see. She could see nothing else beyond the looming mountain positioned just on the edges of her vision.

Watching the cascading snow fall around her, she started to shiver. It was truly starting to get cold here. She didn't seem to be adequately dressed. Snow dusted her hair and eyelashes as goosebumps traveled up and down her arms.

All of a sudden, the scenery shifted again. The image of the mountain became distant and distorted, almost like she was watching from behind a magnifying glass. And then a new image became visible – she was in a very small wooden cabin with no windows and no door. But to her, what mattered most was the fireplace and the roaring blaze flickering in its mouth. She immediately drew closer to the fire, eager to soak up its warmth. A smile flitted across her face, and a sigh of contentment slipped past her lips.

* * *

><p>FitzSimmons clambered out of their suits and walked into the lab quietly, intent on letting Skye sleep. Both stopped in their tracks when they came across the adorable scene in front of them.<p>

Skye and Ward were curled up into each other, his arms wrapped around her protectively. They looked so peaceful together that FitzSimmons looked at each other and grinned. There was no way they were letting Ward get away with this.

Simmons whipped out her phone and snapped a couple pictures while Fitz opened a cabinet and yanked out a blanket. He covered them gently and reluctantly pulled Jemma out of the lab, leaving the adorable couple alone.

"That was so cute!" Simmons gushed.

"Absolutely," Fitz agreed, grinning mischievously. "Now…what are we gonna do with those photos, eh?"

* * *

><p>AN: There's still more to come, so stay tuned! Also, for those who are interested: I'm always interested in improving my writing skills, so I've decided to start taking prompts on my tumblr. The link's here: [alpacaseatcarrots][.tumblr][.com][/ask] Just delete the brackets.

Feel free to send them anonymously or using your tumblr if you have one!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! Sorry for falling behind on the updates; six assessments in five days leaves limited time for fanfiction!

* * *

><p>Skye yawned and started to stretch when she felt a warm weight encircling her arms, preventing her from moving them over her head. She blinked slowly, letting everything come into focus gradually, and turned her head to find Agent Grant Ward asleep next to her.<p>

_Well, this is new. _

She wiggled a hand out of his grasp and reached for his neck. She started tickling, and he immediately jolted awake. He blinked rapidly and whipped his head to face her, so close that their noses brushed as he took in his surroundings. He pulled back and gave her an annoyed look while squirming away from her hands.

"Hello. Anyone ever told you it's rude to wake someone up like that?" he queried.

"Nope! And apparently, that's not the only thing I lack information on. Why am I curled up with you in a hospital bed? I mean, I remember the wrist thing, but somehow I don't think that entailed getting into bed with you. Not that I'm arguing, of course…" she teased. Her tone trailed off at the look in his eyes.

"I…you were cold, and FitzSimmons was busy, and I couldn't find any blankets in this room. I only had one other available option."

She studied his face, and turned it towards her with her bad hand. "Ward…what's wrong? You're not yourself. Did I do something?" she asked, hoping her panic before the surgery hadn't exasperated him.

"No, you didn't do anything. It's just…well, Skye your surgery went a tiny bit…wrong," he murmured, trying to spare her the details.

She wasn't having it. "Ward. What happened?"

She was startled to see tears in his eyes. "Hey. Seriously, what happened?"

"We almost lost you."

"What?"

"You had an allergic reaction to the anesthetic. You coded on the table…you were dead for 2 minutes, Skye."

She absorbed this silently. "Well, I'm glad I didn't. It would have been a shame to leave you guys, especially so early. I've got a lot left to live for," she said solemnly.

Ward nodded. "It was…it wasn't good. With how Jemma reacted when she got you back, we thought you were gone. Thinking that, even for a few brief seconds…it was surreal."

The tone of his voice made her heart ache. She hated causing anyone pain, especially Ward.

"Hey. Look at me. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. It was a freak accident. You have nothing to worry about. I'll be here to annoy you for a long time to come." She smiled wryly, and lowered her voice to almost a whisper. "Besides, I could never have died without having experienced this." And with that declaration she claimed his lips.

The smell of vanilla and lavender and soft, warm lips on his wiped every thought from his mind. She tasted faintly of minty toothpaste and chocolate, a combination he never would have guessed tasted like heaven, but even he could be surprised. His hands came to the base of her head and tangled in her soft brown locks as hers came to rest at his waist. Something gentle turned into a heated battle of lust and tongues as each realized how much they needed the reassurance that the other was there.

It was nothing he expected, and everything he had ever wanted.

They pulled away together, and looked at each other with broad grins on their faces.

"Wow. _Really_ glad I didn't miss that," she said breathily.

"Me too," he murmured as he moved to capture her lips again.

It was the taste of repressed feelings and recognized love and _Skye_.

It would be a long time before he moved again.

* * *

><p>When they finally pulled away from each other for the last time, faces flushed and lips plump, Skye grinned and tossed her legs over the side of the bed.<p>

He gave her a puzzled look until she extended her hand.

"Come with me."

He gave in without a second thought, and let himself be dragged to wherever she wanted to go.

He kept up with her easily, jogging at her heels as she navigated the twists and turns of the bottom level of the Bus. They climbed over crates and slipped between pillars and crawled through a narrow passage. Ward was completely and utterly lost; he'd never seen so much of the underside of the Bus.

She turned around and he got lost again – this time, in the depths of her warm eyes. Hypnotic chocolate brown orbs that completely derailed his thoughts and belonged to a very fast woman who had finally stopped weaving through obstacles.

She opened her mouth, snapped it shut, and bit her lip. She seemed nervous, and Ward looked at her with as much confidence as he could muster. He wanted her trust, craved it, and he was determined to give her his.

She pulled him forward a little and revealed what the journey had come to. They were at the very back of the Bus, unable to go any further if they wanted to, right below the engines. Instead of a completely solid metal hull, there was a wide horizontal strip of crystal clear glass. They could see for miles. The sun was about to set, and the vast surface of clouds was tinted pink and yellow and orange.

They sat down and she looked up at him shyly. "When I…when I made the worst decision of my life and betrayed you guys, I couldn't believe that Coulson let me stay. But I thought that just because he let me stay wouldn't mean that any of you would talk to me again, you know? I mean, why would you?"

He stayed silent, but tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, indicating for her to continue. She looked at the floor as one hand traced invisible patterns on the ground.

"I thought it would be best to disappear for a while. Find somewhere that was out of the way and prevented me from bothering anyone. I had never seen anyone go into the back of the plane, so I decided to try it out. And after a lot of searching, I found this little alcove right here. I came here a lot before you guys began talking to me again."

"It's my little place, you know? When Coulson was captured, I couldn't think. So I came back here and I just sat down and cried. And when I looked up, there was a shower of shooting stars. They were streaking across the sky again and again and again and I just thought…we can do this. We can get Coulson back."

She was blissfully happy. He stroked her hand as she related the narrative, watching as her expressions displayed every emotion. He scooted back and tilted her chin up to face him.

He took a deep breath before confessing his happiness. "Skye, it means a lot that you shared this with me. I know that a place like this…" He looked out the window at the darkening sky and fading tinges of orange. "A place like this is special."

He exhaled and decided to tell her. "When FitzSimmons were looking through your medical records for your allergies, they came across a file…it was your x-rays." Her eyes got wide, but he continued. "I'm sorry for thinking that you were scared because you thought you couldn't trust us. I…I understand exactly why you didn't want to think about it."

Her gaze dropped to the ground. "I'm sorry. I hate being this broken. It's not something I ever wanted you guys to see."

Ward shook his head vehemently. "No, Skye. You're not broken. You're enthusiastic and bubbly and happy, and to me, it takes someone who's unbelievably strong to still be all those things after such horrible experiences. I've seen things like that happen to more experienced agents who become shells of their former selves. But you? You persevered, and you pushed through to become who you are today. And for that, I respect you."

She looked up at him as he grasped her hands in his own. She gave him a shy smile. "Thank you."

Rough, calloused fingers entwined with soft, nimble ones, and Grant leaned in and kissed her again.

He tasted like cinnamon and smelled like the dust of an abandoned town. She felt the slight scrape of his stubble against her chin and the soft strength of his lips on hers. She wrapped a hand around his tie and pulled him closer, moaning slightly as his hands settled at the nape of her neck. Her tongue entered his mouth, proclaiming dominance, and he happily granted her entrance.

Skye pulled away from the passionate embrace and touched her forehead to his.

"I love you."

He grinned broadly and eagerly leaned forward to capture her lips in yet another kiss. And as she responded, he murmured "I love you too" against her lips.

They sat, heads on each others' shoulders, and watched the day turn into night. They made wishes as they spotted the first twinkling stars, never to know that their wishes were exactly the same.

* * *

><p>They slipped back through the obstacle course of boxes and metal pillars and ended up on the opposite side of the lab. Right before they started to climb the winding metal staircase, Skye pulled him back.<p>

"Hey…Grant?"

"Yeah?" He liked the way his first name rolled off her tongue.

"What are we now?" He raised an eyebrow and she bit her lip nervously. "I mean, I'd like to call you my boyfriend, but if that's not okay…" she trailed off.

Ward pulled her into a hug and inhaled the scent of her hair. "I would love to be called that, as long as you're my girlfriend. I'd like to avoid telling the team for a little while, if that's okay? I haven't looked into SHIELD's fraternization policy."

She grinned. "Of course. Can't be breaking any rules, now can we?" she teased.

"Well, hopefully not, but I'd be willing to for you. Besides, don't you find that everything's better when it's new and fresh and we don't have to explain anything to anyone? I've always liked it that way," he confessed.

Skye tilted her head and considered it. "Has an excellent ring to it. Not explaining is my specialty, after all."

"Good."

She slipped her hand into his, and they climbed the stairs together.

* * *

><p>Skye was generally fussed over and hugged and cared for, seeing as no one but Ward had seen her awake since the disaster. She and Ward were briefly puzzled, having forgotten about the events that led to their relationship in the heat of the moment. Skye caught on quickly and apologized for scaring everyone.<p>

"I never knew," she said sheepishly. "Guess we'll be careful next time, though."

They ate dinner as a team that day. Coulson was back, Skye was damaged but alive, and they were all together. It seemed fitting.

They sat down to a meal of burgers and corn, Coulson having had some fun with the grill. The burgers were thick and juicy and well seasoned, and the team argued over who got the last one. The corn was delicious and buttery and Skye's favorite. Ward watched as the butter melted and dribbled down her chin as she tore into the delicious mess. She noticed his look and tried to point her eyes at her own chin. She giggled and grabbed for a napkin. She raised one eyebrow seductively in his direction, going unnoticed by everyone else. He had to stifle a laugh as she went cross-eyed.

He looked around the table. Coulson looked tired but happy, and was involved in a deep discussion about the Avengers with FitzSimmons. His eyes lit up with enthusiasm as he argued passionately on the side of Captain America while they resolutely defended Thor, seemingly infatuated with the undiscovered properties of Mjölnir. He glanced at May, who was rolling her eyes and secretly helping herself to the now-forgotten last burger. And he looked back at the happy girl sitting across from him, watching her friends argue about a demigod and a supersoldier with a content expression and more butter dripping down her chin.

_When I got assigned to a team, I never thought it would be like this. _

_This is more than a team. It's a family. Small, dysfunctional, but a family nonetheless. _

_It's home. _

* * *

><p>There's one, maybe two more chapters to this story, so stay tuned! Hope you enjoyed! J<p>

P.S. Tumblr prompts open here: [alpacaseatcarrots][.tumblr][.com][/ask] Just delete the brackets.

Feel free to send them anonymously or using your tumblr if you have one!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! Thanks again for all the reviews!  
>NOTE: This is a <strong>TRIGGER WARNING<strong> for abuse. You have been warned.

* * *

><p><em>This is more than a team. It's a family. Small, a little dysfunctional, but a family nonetheless.<em>

_It's home. _

* * *

><p>Skye went to her bunk and passed out. The emotional roller coaster she'd been riding for the last couple hours had finally stopped, and she was ready to get off.<p>

She curled up in her pile of blankets, and looked warily at her plaster arm. It was annoying, to say the least, but that wasn't why she was apprehensive. Broken bones brought back bad memories – memories that she had buried deep long ago.

Grant Ward wasn't the only one with a traumatic past.

She sighed. He couldn't touch her now.

Or so she hoped.

* * *

><p><em>She was with her fourth foster family. Her meager possessions – a pair of sneakers, a poster of her favorite band, a ragged stuffed unicorn – could be seen in her tiny room.<em>

_She heard her foster father call her name, and pulled back the blankets. Sliding off her bed, she landed on her fifth-grade feet and hurried to him. He was nice when he was sober, but he was terrifying when drunk._

_She had already seen far too much for a fifth-grader._

_The pitter-patter of her own feet sounded as she ran down the hallway towards his voice. She came to a closed door and turned the tarnished brass knob with little fingers. _

_She could smell the alcohol as she entered the room; a pungent wave hit her in the face and she wished she could turn back. But her foster father got angry when he was ignored, and she had no desire to inflame his temper._

_She stepped up to him and listened with eyes trained to the floor. He was irate; he usually was when he was drunk. He ranted on and on about his wife, and how she had abandoned him to go out with friends. She bit her tongue to avoid spilling a sharp retort – she left him because he was drunk, and she was scared._

_And so little Skye was left to deal with the monster on her own. _

_His orders for her to run to the grocery store across the street and buy him a six-pack filtered into her conscious slowly. Her eyes traced the swirling pattern of the carpet as she dug her toes into it, wishing more than anything that she could just disappear. _

_She calmly responded to his rant with basic logic – a ten-year-old would never be able to buy alcohol, no matter where or when. She let her long dark hair obscure her face, almost hoping it would act as a shield. _

_He, however, was operating with impaired logic – logic that told him nothing but that he needed to continue drinking. Her response had pissed him off, and he grabbed her by the hair._

_"You being smart with me? That's not allowed in this household." _

_With a simple flick of the wrist, he threw her against the coffee table. She heard the clean snap of bone as her ribs crumpled against the smooth wooden surface. She immediately became acquainted with the sensation of agony. _

_She scrambled to get away, breathing heavily and searching for something, anything, to defend herself. _

_But he was angry. And he wasn't done._

_He placed a meaty hand around her neck and hoisted her into the air._

_She struggled, fingernails flailing against his grip, desperately trying to turn her face away from the acrid stench of his breath. Her little legs kicked and kicked, finding no purchase against his body. _

_Her ribs flared with agony and she couldn't hold in the small whimper that escaped her lips. He gave her a wicked grin and looked at her with a maniac glint in his eyes._

_"Not gonna get me what I want? That's not okay. It means you gotta be punished."_

_He whipped his arm around and slammed her head into a mirror. She squeezed her eyes shut as shards of her reflection sliced her skin and darkness encroached on her vision._

* * *

><p>She sat bolt upright in bed with a muffled scream. Her breathing was coming in short spurts and black spots danced in her vision. She tried to calm down, but found that tears were already streaming down her face. She took a deep breath in, and a choking sob found its way back out.<p>

She stumbled to her door and pushed it open. The hallway was pitch black and impossible to navigate, but she had to try.

Her footsteps were loud and heavy as she weaved her way down the hallway, heart racing and sobs getting stronger.

She finally stumbled into Ward's door and fumbled with the latch. She pushed it open and found him already somewhat awake, having been alerted by her clumsy trek to his room.

His expression morphed into one of panic when he saw the state she was in. "Skye! What happened?"

She let out a strangled sob and let the tears flow as he pulled her into his chest. He put a finger on her pulse and was immediately startled. Her pulse was thready and inconsistent; her breath was quick and panicked – she was hyperventilating.

"Skye, sweetheart, please calm down. You're going to pass out if you keep breathing like this. Just listen to me, okay? In, out, in, out…"

She stared into his eyes and he was almost destroyed by the stark look of absolute terror and pain he saw there. She let out a shaky breath and began following his example.

After ten minutes of careful breathing and a constant finger on her pulse, Ward was satisfied that she was out of danger.

"Skye, please tell me what happened. You're really scaring me."

She took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. "N-n-n-ightm-mare."

He pulled her closer and cradled her as silent tears streaked down her cheeks. "You wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head violently and pulled herself closer to him. "I-I need a little time. I'll tell you, I promise. But it's too fresh."

"Alright. It's okay. Just go to sleep. I'll be here if you wake up again." He laid a soft kiss on her head, and drifted off again.

* * *

><p>They both woke up to sunlight filtering in through the edges of Ward's curtains. Skye yawned and stretched, rolling out of Ward's tight grasp.<p>

He blinked sleepily and watched her sit up. She was wearing an old gray tank top and a beat up pair of sweats – his, he realized. She followed his gaze and blushed.

"I stole them because I thought they'd be comfy. So sue me," she admitted sheepishly.

He laughed. "I don't care." His demeanor immediately changed. "What I do care about, though, is your health, and we need to talk about last night."

Her eyes fell to the sheets and she started fidgeting with a corner of the pillowcase. "You saw the x-rays. I…I had a number of foster parents. Some of them were good, and some of them were not quite up to par."

He sat down on the bed and pulled her to his chest. She continued, murmuring into the soft flannel of his shirt. "Broken bones are triggering for me. I thought…I thought that if I didn't tell anyone, I could convince myself that it was fine, and the memories wouldn't come back. But they've decided to visit anyways."

He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and stroked her head. She inhaled shakily and pressed closer to him. "It was my first abusive home. That memory seems to be the worst. I think…I'm pretty sure it's because it was the scariest. By the time I got to the next home, I was just expecting it." She trailed off, seemingly unwilling to elaborate, and Ward didn't push.

He kissed the top of her head. "If you need to talk more, I'm here."

She nodded into his chest. "I know."

She pulled back and peeked up at him. "Actually, could I ask a favor?"

"Anything," he promised.

"Can I sleep in your bunk tonight? I don't really want to have that happen again. Maybe you'll be big and scary enough to scare my monsters away."

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged. "Absolutely. I'm always here to help."

She sighed in relief. "Thank you."

He grinned broadly and stood up. "You want pancakes? I hear your SO is canceling training for today."

She returned his grin with a shy smile and interlaced her fingers with his. "I'd like that."

* * *

><p>She watched as he threw globs of light brown batter at the frying pan and carelessly tossed in blueberries. She heard the sizzle of the heat as it interacted with the delicious concoction, and smelled the enticing flavors of Ward's creation. She eagerly snatched one off the top of the stack and ate it with her hands, utensils be damned.<p>

He watched her childlike enthusiasm and joined her in destroying the tall stack of pancakes. For a while, the only sounds they exchanged were those of quiet munching.

Skye snatched the last pancake right from under his outstretched hand, earning her a glare. "You snooze, you lose," she said, grinning wickedly.

Ward sighed. "Fine."

She hopped off her chair and ran to her room. She returned quickly, pancake in one hand and board game in another.

"Wanna let me to sink your battleship?"

* * *

><p>They played three rounds, and Skye won all of them.<p>

"Yes!" she cried at the completion of the fourth. "I am unbeatable!"

Ward smiled at her. "Okay, okay. I concede. You win the title of Battleship champion or whatever."

She grinned. "That means I get to choose the movie!" she crowed triumphantly.

"I don't remember agreeing to—" "Doesn't matter!"

She grabbed him and pulled him downstairs. She pushed her way into the lab, finding FitzSimmons bent over one of the little drones.

"You guys wanna join us for movie night?"

They looked at each other. "Um…it's not so much movie _night_, seeing as it's only 2 in the afternoon, but I will gladly join you," Simmons said.

"I guess we can take a break," Fitz said.

They followed Skye out, Ward in tow.

* * *

><p>They pulled up <em>The Lion King<em> on the big screen and all squeezed together on the big sofa. To Ward's surprise, everyone but him had approved of Skye's choice.

As the movie began, he felt himself being drawn in by the beautiful songs and bright animation. He was ensnared by the lions' struggles until he felt a warm weight on his shoulder. He swiveled his gaze to the warmth and found that Skye had gone to sleep on his shoulder.

_She must have been really worn out_, he thought. _That nightmare took a lot out of her. I should do something nice to help her forget about it. _

All of a sudden, he had an idea.

* * *

><p>Jemma watched Ward suspiciously as he gently eased himself out from under Skye, leaving her head balancing on the arm of the couch. He felt her eyes following him and turned to meet her gaze.<p>

"Trust me," he whispered.

He glanced around before turning back to her. "If she asks, tell her only she should know where to find me."

He disappeared, leaving Simmons with a fair deal of confusion and piqued interest.

* * *

><p>Skye woke up to the absence of her space heater and sleeping legs. Swinging them over the edge of the couch, she wiggled her toes until the pins and needles dissipated. She looked around, seeing that Ward was nowhere to be found.<p>

Her eyes came to rest on Simmons and Fitz. Fitz was passed out on her, snoring loudly, while Simmons watched the movie. It seemed to have magically transformed into _Bambi_ while she was out.

Simmons looked up at her and said, "He's where only you know to look."

Skye's face lit up as she popped off the couch. Her legs carried her away from her friends and down the stairs, tracing the path to her newly shared secret.

Several detours and a couple minutes later, she found herself at her secret place. Dinner was laid out, a red-and-white checkered blanket covering the floor. Grant Ward was sitting with his back to her, captivated by the wide expanse of stars patterning the sky.

"Grant?"

He whirled around, and smiled at her. "You like? I thought it might be a nice change of pace from the beginning of the day."

She launched herself forward and kissed him passionately.

"Who would have thought robots were programmed with thoughtfulness, hmm?" she teased. "But in all honesty, this is incredibly cute. Thank you."

He grinned.

She sat down and instead of inhaling her food, put an arm around his shoulders. They watched the stars together, Skye's head resting on his shoulder.

She could hardly believe it when she spotted a bright streak of light.

"Ward! Look!"

"I see," he breathed.

The picture painted in front of them was of breathtaking beauty. Stars were streaking past, splattering the dark canvas with flashes of light. They watched in awe as the stars continued falling, lighting up the night with each pass.

They sat and watched until their eyes grew heavy and a desire for sleep rousted them from their oasis. They climbed the stairs hand in hand, still thinking about the starry personal performance they had received.

* * *

><p>Skye followed him into his bunk, intent on soaking up his warmth.<p>

But when he removed his shirt, she found that she no longer needed it – she was warm enough already.

Pupils darkened with something animalistic, she stepped into the warm curve of his arms and traced the lines of his chiseled abs. Biting her lip, she threaded a finger along the seam of his sweatpants.

He looked into her eyes, and she found the same desire reflected there.

Still staring at him hungrily, she grabbed for the edge of her tank top and yanked it off.

Unable to resist, he stepped forward and claimed her lips for the first of many, many times that night.

* * *

><p>Late, late at night, both staring at the ceiling with fully sated appetites, Skye reached for his hand and grasped it in her own.<p>

"Grant?"

"Hmmm?"

"I think I'll have to come up with a new nickname for you. Robots simply can't be programmed with that."

Though she couldn't see it, he grinned.

* * *

><p>And so concludes this story! I really hope you guys enjoyed it; I enjoyed writing it. Thank you guys again for every review, follow, and favorite. Knowing that even one person likes my stuff enough to want more is amazing; the amount that I got makes me feel unbelievably happy.<p>

Adios!


End file.
